| Memorial Day reminders to address 'invisible wounds' leading to addiction and suicide; wooden tikis destroyed at Iosepa cemetery .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at [email protected]. | | |
Situational Analysis | May 26, 2025 It's Monday and Memorial Day! Remembering those who gave all. ðºð¸ What you need to know - Gov. Spencer Cox said he doesn't plan to call a special session to overturn SB54, the bill that created the signature-gathering path to the ballot. Even though he has gathered signatures before, Sen. Mike Lee used his speech at last week's Republican convention to ask the governor to do so. A recent poll shows only 17% of Utah Republicans oppose signature gathering entirely.
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 | NUEX to Bring Higher Ed & Industries Together, Tackle Employer Problems Spurred by a desire for higher ed to collaborate more with employers, Weber State University will host the Northern Utah Employer Exchange later this year. The hands-on, strategic exchange will pair industry leaders with WSU to help solve tough issues such as retention, generational differences, training, and hiring. Learn more here. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - Sen. Curtis introduces bill addressing gang violence in Haiti (Deseret News)
- Sen. Mike Lee proposes new protections for farmers (Deseret News)
Municipal news - 6 Utah cities ranked among the best 250 places to live in the U.S. â and Salt Lake didnât make the cut (ABC4)
- Major portion of TRAX service in Salt Lake City closing for almost 3 months (Fox13)
Utah - Memorial Day: 2 Utah veteransâ cemeteries ranked among the nationâs âmost reveredâ (Deseret News)
- Bonneville Shoreline Trail: From an ancient lake to a modern-day connection between cities (Deseret News)
- âWeâre a partner to the causeâ: Church of Jesus Christ donates to center for child abuse survivors (Deseret News)
- Cancer has limited Caroline Kleinâs tomorrows. Hereâs what sheâs doing about it (Deseret News)
- World Cup climbing competition brings loud crowds to Salt Lake City, highlights growing sport (KSL)
Biz/Tech - Utah-based entrepreneurs debut explicit content-filtering service (KSL)
- Voices: Donât let the federal government pull the rug out from under Utah business owners like me (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Major changes coming at this small Utah ski resort with a big name (Deseret News)
Community/Culture - On set of âThe Chosenâ in Utah, fans become co-creators (Deseret News)
- Billy Joelâs highly anticipated Utah return officially canceled following medical diagnosis (Deseret News)
- Hereâs a list of the big summer festivals happening in Utah cities and towns this year (Salt Lake Tribune)
- From radio waves to temple domes: The unexpected journey of a Krishna couple in Utah (AP)
Crime/Courts - A true crime vortex is spiraling over the U.S. Can it possibly be good for us? (Deseret News)
- Utah House speaker calls for judge to resign following KSL report (KSL)
- Utah Highway Patrol sees significant spike in DUI arrests over holiday weekend (KUTV)
Education - K-12 - Utahâs graduating seniors have big dreams. Can the state contain them? (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Teacher misconduct reports are rising, but shortage of investigators causes backlog (Daily Herald)
Education - Higher - Vocal Point star leaves a legacy for BYU (KSL Newsradio)
- John Johnson: The renaissance that American universities need (Deseret News)
- SLCC aims for simplicity and workforce training to meet Utahâs higher ed mandate (KUER)
Energy - Utah will have a new nuclear reactor running by 2026, Gov. Cox and startup Valar Atomics announce (Salt Lake Tribune)
Environment - Melting Mountain West glaciers are producing mercury in wetland areas (UPR)
Family - US children of divorce have reduced earnings, increased chances of teen births and jail, study says (AP)
Health Housing - More sales of U.S. homes were canceled in April. Whatâs going on? (Deseret News)
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National Headlines General - Cardinal Dolan is honored for his âunwavering voice in support of religious libertyâ â which is âdownright essential for the flourishing,â he says (Deseret News)
- So what happens to America's 114 billion pennies once the US stops making them? (KSL)
- Phil Robertson of 'Duck Dynasty' dies at 79 (Fox13)
- WWII bomber crash left 11 dead and ânon-recoverable.â 4 are finally coming home (AP)
- An Oregon man who quit his job to set sail with his cat arrives to cheering fans in Hawaii (AP)
- Scientists have lost their jobs or grants in US cuts. Foreign universities want to hire them (AP)
Political news - Trump - Trump again blasts Harvard over international students as judge blocks revocation (NPR)
- Trump wishes happy Memorial Day, including to âscumâ that was âtrying to destroy our countryâ (The Hill)
- The pool's open. Trump's laid off the team that helps protect swimmers. (Politico)
Other federal political news - Being American should trump partisanship (Deseret News)
- 'Big, beautiful bill' would limit judge's contempt power (New York Times)
- Sen. Ron Johnson: House bill "actually increases" deficit (The Hill)
- Defense Secretary Hegseth puts new limits on press access at the Pentagon (NPR)
Immigration/deportation - Is Trump undermining the Constitution to deport faster? (Deseret News)
- Judge orders Trump administration to pursue return of improperly deported Guatemalan man (The Hill)
- The billion-dollar business behind Trump's immigration crackdown (Wall Street Journal)
DOGE/Musk - Exclusive: Muskâs DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns (Reuters)
- Scott Galloway says Musk's work at DOGE fueled 'one of the greatest brand destructions' of all time (Business Insider)
Tariffs - European shares gain after Trump pushes back planned 50% tariffs on EU to July (AP)
Ukraine/Russia - Russia attacks Ukraine for third night in a row, Ukrainian officials say (Reuters)
- Russia sent a record number of drones into Ukraine as Trump says Putin has âgone crazyâ (AP)
- Inside Ukraine's last maternity ward in a region surrounded by Russian forces (NPR)
Middle East - Israeli strikes kill 52 in Gaza including 36 in a school-turned-shelter, medics say (AP)
- Nine of a doctorâs 10 children are killed in latest Israeli strikes in Gaza, health officials say (PBS)
- Israel aims to control 75% of Gaza in two months, military says (Wall Street Journal)
World news - Protests grip Bangladesh as pressure mounts on Yunus-led government (Reuters)
- King Charles III visit to Canada underscores Canadaâs sovereignty (AP)
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 | News Releases Gov. Cox orders flags to half-staff for Memorial Day In recognition of Memorial Day, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox has ordered the flags of the United States of America and the great state of Utah to be flown at half-staff on all state facilities. Flags should be lowered to the half-staff position at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, May 26, 2025, and remain at half-staff until noon (12 p.m.) the same day. At noon, flags should be returned to full-staff. The governor invites all private citizens, businesses and organizations to join in this tribute to our nationâs fallen heroes.
Curtis, colleagues introduce bipartisan bill to address gang violence in Haiti U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT), Chair of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, joined Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Committee members Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Chris Coons (D-DE) in introducing the bipartisan Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act, which would prioritize U.S. leadership in addressing the ongoing violence in Haiti. This bill will mandate sanctions against Haitian gangs, armed criminal actors, and their political and economic enablers. It will also require extensive interagency cooperation, identification, and reporting of criminal collusion and threats to U.S. national interests, including through an annual report submitted to Congress by the Secretary of State. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day 
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Upcoming - May 31 â Utah Democratic Party Organizing Convention, Ogden High School
- June 17-19 â Interim Days
- Aug 7 â Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here
- Aug 19-21 â Interim Days
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On This Day In History - 1647 - Alse Young becomes the first person executed for witchcraft in the American colonies when she is hung in Windsor, Connecticut.
- 1805 - Lewis and Clark first spot the Rocky Mountains.
- 1857 - US slave Dred Scott and family freed by owner Henry Taylor Blow, only 3 months after US courts ruled against them in Dred Scott v. Sandford
- 1868 - President Andrew Johnson acquitted in impeachment trial.
- 1924 - President Calvin Coolidge signs into law the Immigration Act of 1924, the most stringent U.S. immigration policy in the nationâs history up to that point.
- 1927 - Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company produce the last (and 15th million) Model T Ford
- 1930 - US Supreme Court rules that buying liquor does not violate the Constitution
- 1951 - Sally Ride is born. She became the first American woman to go into space in 1983 and the youngest, at age 32.
- 1972 - US President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign SALT accord
- 1984 - US President Ronald Reagan rules out US military intervention in Iran-Iraq war
- 2019 - Nine climbers die in a week on Mt Everest after overcrowding leads to a huge queue to reach the summit
Quote of the Day "I glory in publicly avowing my eternal enmity to tyranny." âJohn Hancock
On the Punny Side Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns donât work. | | |
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